4-alarm Lowell blaze freezes local firefighters

LOWELL -- Nicholas Park peered out the window of his family's home on West Sixth Street Thursday morning and saw smoke. Then flames started to billow out of the basement of the apartment building across the way.

According to the time stamp on his mother's cellphone, Park dialed 911 about 11:32 a.m.

During the next three-plus hours, firefighters relentlessly battled the four-alarm inferno at 244 West Sixth St., when mid-day temperatures struggled to rise into the low teens.

Fire Chief Edward Pitta said two firefighters were hurt, but their injuries were minor. He said the firefighters were rescued from a window on the second story after flames ripped through the floor.

Steady blasts of wind from the northwest also threatened to spread flames to neighboring homes on Sixth Street, but firefighters managed to keep the blaze under control.

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Pitta said the low temperatures played a role in the department's decision to strike a fourth alarm, a move that typically serves as a call for help from departments in neighboring communities.

"These are the worst possible conditions for us," he said.

Pitta added that the St. Louis School, just across the street, opened its cafeteria doors for firefighters to use as a rehab command post, and so that officials could take breaks and warm up.

"Guys simply can't work as long safely in these temperatures," he added.

The brunt of attention was focused on the side of the building bordering Boisvert Street, the same side that was visible from the windows at the Park household but separated by a two-way street.

Pitta said firefighters battled the challenges that accompany frigid temperatures by using the exhaust from ladder and engine trucks to thaw hose connections and nozzles.

The multi-unit building was "mostly unoccupied," according to Pitta. He said investigators are now trying to determine the cause, and added he could not confirm whether the fire started in the basement.

American Red Cross spokeswoman Ashley Studley later said in an email that only one of the apartment units was occupied. She said the four adult residents of the unit were provided a hotel stay for the night, including emergency funds for food, clothing and seasonal garments. The volunteers also provided refreshments to more than 100 firefighters and first responders who worked at the scene.

City land records show the eight-unit, stucco-style building, constructed in 1914, is owned by Wilmington resident Mary Krasnyansky, who bought the property in 2006 for $465,000.

It was recently assessed at $312,000.

Krasnyansky has not yet responded to messages left on her home answering machine.

Park's mother, Jeannette Park, said work was constantly being done on the same side of the building where the fire damage was most significant. On most days, she said, a plumbing and heating truck is parked on the street. On Thursday morning Park said she saw the same box-style truck roll up West Sixth Street just as her son was calling 911 to report seeing smoke.

She said the truck lurched to a stop at the corner of Boisvert Street, paused, and then quickly drove away.

Park could not recall the name of the company.

Nicholas Park added that he also spotted a man and a woman wearing only T-shirts and pants run out of the building at the time smoke began to billow out. He said the couple hopped into an awaiting black sedan and proceeded to drive away.

When asked about the two bits of information offered by the Parks, Pitta said he had not yet heard of any such reports.

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